Districts of Innovation, as created by House Bill 1842, represents the next step in public school flexibility. The new law encourages districts and charters to collaborate across multiple campuses and with institutions of higher education pursuant to a locally developed plan.

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A Pin for Public School Champions

November 23, 2016 | Leadership

Much is expected of a Raise Your Hand Texas alum.

But also, much is given: sponsorship for leadership development and innovation programs, ongoing support and professional development, and an extensive network of like-minded education leaders constantly working to grow their talents to benefit all students. And you can recognize these alumni by the lapel pin every Raise Your Hand school leader receives after completing one of the prestigious programs we sponsor.

Those who wear the pin are members of a growing group of transformed public school principals who support the belief that the future of Texas is in our public schools. If you see a principal or district leader sporting this pin, be sure to congratulate them – they’ve worked hard for it.

If you know of an outstanding elementary, middle, or high school principal in Texas who is passionate about advancing their school who is not wearing one of these pins, encourage them to apply for our Harvard Leadership Program.

Principals serving Texas public schools and public charter schools are eligible to apply for one of six weeklong professional development summer courses taught in Cambridge, MA by faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. And in 2017, for the first time, campus leadership teams are eligible to apply to three of the six institutes. That means assistant principals, teachers, instructional coaches, and other staff and faculty members are able to go through the training with their principal in the hopes that it becomes easier to implement the learning.

Selected applicants will not only receive an all-expenses-paid training opportunity, but also become a member of the statewide network of over 1,000 Raise Your Hand alumni.

And yes, they will get the pin.

Visit our Programs page for more information about the Harvard Leadership Program and other programs we sponsor.

Do you want to hear from principal alums themselves about their professional development experience and how they’re using what they learned to make important changes at their schools? Check out our Stories page where you’ll find in-depth, multimedia reports on the many public school principals we’ve sponsored.

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